THE 50th HS REUNION LOOMS--

I recently attended a meeting of the reunion committee for the 50th anniversary of my high school graduating class to be held in 2008.

That sent me home to a long look at the high school yearbook.

And, the memories came flooding back.

I met my yet-to-be-bride Carol back then. She was a couple of years behind me in school. While she finished her school years and because the military draft was then looming I scurried off to the US Coast Guard for a four year hitch.

Then came marriage and a move to New York State to establish our first nest then a transfer to Detroit and the arrival of our first son while I finished my service and moved to Bowling Green to start college which also brought the arrival of our second son. Money ran out before the degree arrived and we were off to Norwalk then Mansfield as I launched my career in journalism.

We bought our ranch style dream-home in the suburbs just in time to celebrate the birth of our daughter and soon learned three kids in an allotment was a tight squeeze and headed to an old farm house and some acreage out in the country below Lexington.

Then came a six year stint of self employment as a professional photographer wrapped around four years of flying professionally for a local steel company then political involvement with an appointment to a two year term as county director of elections which preceded election to two four year terms as a county commissioner then a quiet disappearance into the peaceful obscurity of a 4-year job as treasurer of the Clear Fork school system.

As I was once again pondering what to do when I grew up, I obtained a Class A commercial driving license and took a whack at truck driving; starting with hauling steel over the road, then delivering roof trusses and finally buzzing around Amish country in a little semi delivering corrugated boxes for a local company from which I formally retired about a year after I lost my bride to cancer following 41+ years of marriage.

I chuckled when I read my “ambition” posted in the annual which was “To own General Motors.”

Well—at least I did own a couple of Chevy’s.